Provenance

Estelle Doheny (Christie's, 18 October 1988, lots 1653 (the postscript, described as a complete autograph letter signed with no reference to the balance of the text) and 1664 (photograph)

Literature

The Correspondence of Walt Whitman, ed. Allen & Bradley, 1:122

Catalogue Note

Whitman sends his mother the latest military news on the eve of the Battle of the Wilderness—and draws a revealing portrait of Ulysses S. Grant. The present postscript was at some point separated from the letter to which it was originally appended; the letter proper is in the Library of Congress, part of the Charles Feinberg Collection. Whitman here reports that just as he was mailing the letter home to Brooklyn, "there is an extra out here that Grant has advanced his army or a portion of it to the region of the Chancellorsville battle of just a year ago & has either flanked Lee, as they call it (got in on his army between him & Richmond)—or else that Lee has hurried back or is hurrying back to Richmond—whether there is any thing in this story or not, I can't tell—the city is full of rumors & this may be one of them—the government is not in receipt of any information to-day—Grant has taken the reins entirely in his own hands—he is really dictator at present ... Grant is very secretive indeed—he bothers himself very little about sending news even to the President or Stanton—only time can develope his plans—I still think he is going to take Richmond & soon. (but I may be mistaken as I have been in past)—Well dearest Mother, keep up good courage, good bye for present."